Loose-leaf binder.



Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

lNv: NTOR WITNLESEaES bzw awn UNITED, s AtrEs PATENT OFFICE.

'wILLIAiu FAIRCHILD, or ALBANY, NEW YORK, AssmNon To WILLIAM c. MARTINEAU AND summer: 3. MABTINEAU, BOTH. or ALBANY, NEW Yonx.

oose-Lear BINDER...

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed February 24., .1911. Serial No. 610,588.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

' To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, WILiii'AM FAIR HILD, a citizen of'the United States, residing at Albany, Albany county, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to loose-leaf binders orfiling devices for holding a variable number of sheets of paper or the like in superposition. 'Its object is to provide means for holding any desired number of such sheets closely together so that they may be readily referred to, written upon, detached, replaced or added to, as desired, the de vlce being. simple, easily manipulated, eflic ent and durable.

Further objects anddetails of theinvention will appear in this specification and be pointed out in the claims.

l[n the drawings, F gure 1 is'a perspective view 'ofuny device; Fig. 2 is a like view showing a number of sheets retained therein; Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section through the plane 3s-3, Fig. 2.

11 designates-the lower cover of the binder, of which 12 is the back or clamp ,por tion, 13, a hinge, and 14, a body.

15 is the upper cover, consisting as before of a back or clamp portion 16, hinge 17 and body 18. Firmlysecured to the back12 of the lower cover.11,'as by means of integral, transverse loops 19, are, in the present, in-

wound wire body 21 and a solid pointed-tip 22, the wire ofwhich the body 21 is formed being preferably ofspring temper. ,Secured to the upper face of the back 16 of the upper cover 15 are two reinforcmg blocks 23,

which may be of wood; sheet. metal or other suitable material. In each of these blocks Fig. 3, the upper end of the aperture being' is formed an aperture24 registering with an aperture 25 in theback 16, these apertures being of a size to freely ass the stems- 20 and so positioned that w on the stems pass therethrough the covers 11 and 15 will be superposed. The apertures 24 in the blocks are preferably countersunk or tapered to form a rounded shoulder, as shown in at a distance below the to of the block substantially equal to the 'ameter 0f the stem 20. Secured to the upper face of each of the blocks 23 is a metal plate 26, in which is an aperture 27 registering with the apertures 24 and 25, and somewhat greater in diameter than the stem 20. Extending radially from the aperture 27 approximately to a front corner ofthe plate is a slot 28 slightly wider than the diameter of the stem 20. A'corner 29 of the plate 26 adjacent the free end of the slot 28 is slightly bent down or depressed, for a purpose to be hereafter explained.

The operation of the device will be readily understood from an inspection of the drawings. It will be seen that when the flexible, resilient stems 20 stand in their vertical position, as in Fig. 1, the upper cover15 may be readily removed from the stems or replaced thereon. The upper cover being so removed, any desired number of sheets 30, of paper, cardboard, textile material or the like, previously perforated in the usual manner, are slippedover the stems 20, the cover 15 replaced and pressed downward, and the stems 20 are bent down, first in a vertical plane through the slots 28, and then in a substantially horizontal plane under the corners'29 andbeneath the free front portions ofthe plates 26. The depression of the corners 29 of the plates assists in preventing the accidental disengagement of the stems fromtheir locked position. The manual bending down of the stems 20-acts to slightly stretch the lower or leaf-engaging portion of the stems below the bend, so that the resilient contraction of such lower portions serves to draw the backs orclamping portions of the blnder closely together,

thereby holding the inclosed leaves under a constant, resilient pressure. This natural stretching movementof the stems may be voluntarily increased by the operator, if desired. The complete device, shown in Fig.

2,'forms a book, which may be a loose-leaf ledger, book of samples, or the like. The book may be readily opened, by reason of the hinges 1.3 and .17 in the covers, the flexible stems 20 yielding freely to permit the swinging back of the upper cover 15. When sheets are to be removed or new ones added, the stems 20 are swung horizontally under the corners 29 and permitted to pass through the slots 28 and to resume their vertical position, when the upper cover 15. may be removed.

It is obvious that many mechanical alterations may be made in my device without departing from my invention. Thus it is essential that the stems, which serve to con- 5 nect the covers, shall be flexible and preferably resilient, and that a readily disengageable locking means shall be provided for holding the stems in their bent position with the sheets tightly clasped between the covo ers; but it .is non-essential that the stems shall be formed of spirally coiled wire, or

that the locking means shall be of the particular form described.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have shown another feature of my invention. The back portions 12 and 16 of the respective covers 11 and 15, instead of being made of strips ofbinders board covered with duck or other textilematerial as is customary, and'as is 2 shown in Fig. 2, are here made of sheet ironor other rigid metal strips 31 with their edges 32 turned up and preferably bent in- Ward as shown. These strips are covered with sheets 33 of duck or like textile ma- T terial, which extend to any desired distance both beneath and above the body portions 14 and 18 of the covers, and are glued together between the back and body portions to form the hinges 13 and 17. These'metal backs are very rigid and durable and are especially adapted to my invention as already described, in that the space beneath the body' of the strip in the back 12 receives the transverse loop 19 of the stem 20, which loop may be secured to the metal strip 31 bysoldering or otherwise; and in that the edges 32 of the stripin the back 16 serve to engage the blocks 23', which are shouldered at their lower edges 23* for this pur- 40 pose.

WhatI claim is: 1. A retaining device for a loose-leaf binder having upper and lower clamping portions, comprising a' flexible stem secured to one of said clamping portions; and look-- "ing means rigidly secured to the other of 881d clamping port-ions with which said stem is adapted to be manually ,engaged for holding the latte in bent position with its free end substantially. at a right angle with its leaf en aging ortionw ,2. A retaini iig device for a loose-leaf v binder having upper and lower clamping portions,'compris1ng a flexible, resilient stem secured to said lower clamping portion; and

locking means rigidl secured to said upper clamping portion wlth which said stem is adapted .to be manually engaged for holding the latter in bent position with its free end substantially at a right angle with its leafengaging portion.

3. A retaining device for a loose-leaf binder'comprising a flexible stem, and lock.

ing means for detachably holding said stem 4 in bent position, said stem being engageable with said locking means by being first bent in a vertical and afterward in a substantially horizontal plane.

4. A retaining device for a loose-leaf binder having upper and. lower clamping portions, comprising a flexible, extensible stem consisting of a spirally coiled, resilient wire secured to said lower clamping portion; and locking means rigidly secured to said upper clamping portion with which said stem is adapted to be manually engaged for holding the latter in bent position with its lower leaf-engaging portion slightly extended. 'f

5. A retaining device for a loose-leaf binder having upper and lower clamping portions, comprising a flexible stem consistingof a spirally coiled, resilient wire secured to said lower clamping portion; and locking means rigidly secured to and above said A upper clamping portion with which said stem is adapted to be manually engaged for holding the latter in bent position with its free end above and substantially parallel with said upper clamping portion. I

6. A retaining device for a loose-leaf binder having upper and lower clamping portions, comprising a flexible stem secured to said lower clamping portion, and manually engageable locking means, including a metal plate rigidly secured above said upper clamping portion and having an aperture adapted to pass said stem and a slot extending from said aperture to the peri cry of said plate, for detachably hol ing said stem in bent position. 7. A retaining device for a loose-leaf binder comprising a flexible stem, and locking means, including a slotted metal plate having a depressed corner under which said stem passes, for detachably holding said stem in bent position.

v 8. A loose-leafbinder comprising a lower cover; an apertured upper cover; a flexible,. resilient ste'msecured to said lower cover and passing through the aperture in said upper cover; and locking means rigidly secured above said upper cover with which said stem is adapted to be manually engaged for holding the latter in bent position.

9. A loose-leaf bindef' comprising upper and lower covers; a reinforcing block on said upper co'ver; said upper cover and said block having'registering apertures, the aperture in said block having a tapered enlargement; a flexible stem secured to said lower cover and passing through the apertures in said upper, cover and said block: and locking means on said upper cover for detachably holding said stem in bent position.

10. A loose-leaf binder comprising upper and lower covers; a reinforcing block on said upper cover; alocking plate on said block, said uppercover, said block and said plate having registering apertures, saidplate also having a slot extending from the aperture therein to its periphery; a flexible stem secured to said lower cover and passing through all said apertures and adapted to be bent downward so as to pass through said reinforcing block rigidly secured to said metal strip and extending above said strip and said flexible sheet, and having a shouldered portion engaged between the edges of said strip.

12. A loose-leaf binder comprising upper and lower covers, said covers each including a back portion consisting of a metal strip having longitudinal bent edges and a sheet of textile material surrounding said strip; a flexible stem secured to thefinetal strip in said lower cover; a reinforcing block secured to the metal strip in'said upper cover, said block having a shouldered portion engaged between the edges of said strip; a locking plate on said block, said'upper cover, said block and said plate being provided with registering apertures, said plate being also provided with a slot extending from the aperture therein .to its periphery; said stem being adapted to pass through all said apertures and to be bent downward so as to pass through said slot and to "be engaged beneath said plate. I v

, WILLIAM FAIROHILD;

. Witnesses:

GEO. L. COOPER, WM. C. MARTINEAU. 

